Juggler's Workshop

 

 Festival Passing Patterns

BY MARTIN FROST

 

Here are some unusual passing patterns for you to to try out, ranging from fairly simple to outlandish. If you don't have enough local passers to do these, pack up your clubs and head for the nearest juggling festival and work these out with some passers you find there.

 

Before I get into new patterns, I want to say one more thing about the Collected (Hovey's) Night­mares that I described in the Winter 1993-94 Juggler's Workshop. At the recent Burlington festival, Jim Hugunin, Ed Carstens and I mastered Nightmares 1 through 6 in a period of less than 15 minutes. That's mostly because in each of those 6 patterns everyone is doing the same thing, so you can describe the pattern to everyone at once, although the three people start at three different places in the pattern. Nightmares 7 and 8 (Hovey's Original and Hovey's Opposite) have everyone doing different things, so they take a little longer to describe to your partners, and then you'll probably want to learn all three parts of each one.

 

Do-Si-Do

I don't know the origin of the juggling Do­Si-Do (although its name obviously comes from square dancing), but I learned it many years ago. It is a relatively easy yet exciting and even potentially dangerous pattern that involves walking through your own group's pattern. It is based on the standard 4-count alternating box. (For more box variations, see the Winter 1991-92 Juggler's Workshop.)

 

Two pairs of jugglers are passing independently but across each other's patterns at right angles (see Fig. 1). This is easily done in a 4-count, with each pair doing right selves while the other pair is passing rights. Everyone needs to juggle at the same speed to keep the two pairs exactly out of phase.

 

Now we add the do-si-do. At a given time, one pair of jugglers does a do-si-do while the other pair keeps passing a 4-count. In fact, it looks best if the two pairs alternate doing the do-si-do. Besides, then everyone gets in on the action! For now, let's assume that you and your passing partner will do the do-si-do.

 

Here's what you and your partner do: (1) after a pass, start moving slowly forward and slightly to the right, catch the incoming pass and keep juggling; (2) wait for the pass from the juggler on your left to go by in front of you; (3) quickly walk forward past your partner (with your left shoulders closest together) and past the line between the two passers who are still passing; (4) once out of the crossing passing pattern, slide to your left while your partner does the same behind you; (5) wait for another pass (coming from your right) to go by behind you; and (6) quickly back up past your partner (right shoulders closest this time) to get back to your original position, where you resume your 4-count with your partner. Fig. 1 shows the route that you take, and each arrowhead shows your position at a time when the other jugglers are passing (note that you are never in their way at such a time). Your partner does exactly the same thing as you (not mirror image) at the same time.

 

While you're doing the do-si-do, although you momentarily stop passing, you do keep juggling three clubs as you go through the pattern, around your partner and back. Try to keep your juggling in sync with the other jugglers. That is, don't speed up the juggling just because you're hurrying through the pattern. This will ensure that you and your partner are in sync when you come out of the do­si-do and can resume passing at the right time together.

 

You can get through the pattern quickly if you're leaning forward just before the pass between the other jugglers goes by. Watch the pass coming from the left and go forward after it goes by. Make sure that you get through the middle far enough to allow room for the next pass to go by behind your head. Wait for that pass while you've moving to your left - don't rush back to your home before it has gone by. You really don't have to go too fast. Just go at the right time without delaying. And keep juggling slowly - don't speed up as you move.

 

Since you and your partner have to start the do-si-do at the same time, you have to agree when that will be. We typically allow anyone to say "hup" on a pass and that means that the "hupper" and partner will start forward in the do-si-do on their next pass. If the other passers say "hup" as the first pair is back to back, then the second pair can start in immediately after the first pair resumes passing.

 

Torture Chamber

The Torture Chamber was invented by Ed Carstens, now in Gainesville, Fla. This pattern has one juggler surrounded by and feeding four other jugglers (as in Fig. 2). Figure 3 shows the sequences of passes for the five jug­glers. On beats 1 and 2, pairs of jugglers are exchanging clubs. On each of beats 3 and 4, however, there is a cornered four-person line going with M, A, B and eit~er C or D, includ­ing an underarm throw or a dropback from M.

 

 

 

As you can see, the middle person, M in Fig. 2, passes to the others in order around the formation: A, B, C, D, then repeat. On the other hand, jugglers A and B each do a back and forth feed of the three people nearest them, while jugglers C and D pass- 4-counts to jugglers B and A, respectively.

 

Juggler M faces jugglers A and B, so the passes from M to A and B are normal passes (M should turn a little to face each of them in turn). But then M passes to C, and this is an unusual pass, being most easily thrown with the right hand under the left armpit. It is helpful for M to glance over to see where C is standing so that this throw is not entirely blind. The last pass from M goes to D with a normal dropback throw.

 

M should face B except during the ex­change with A. Facing B helps the under arm throw to C and the drop back to D go in about the right directions, but C and D can help M (and themselves) by giving feedback on where M's passes are going.